Primark
Labour Forecasting Lead
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Company Description
Because we strive to put people first.
Culture, our way
Retail Operations at Primark
What’s a career at Primark all about? The positive impact you’re making, the experiences you’re having and the people you’re with. You’re our inspiration. Embrace what sets you apart, own your career and develop in ways you never expected. Leave your mark. And do it your way.
Job Description
What You’ll Do
The Labour Forecasting Lead is responsible for shaping, planning, and optimising labour (wage) investment across a multi-market retail business covering c.70,000 colleagues. The role ensures robust financial plans, clear cost drivers, and effective governance to support delivery in stores
The role applies strong financial and analytical expertise to ensure labour is efficiently deployed, aligned to customer demand, and delivers maximum value to the business. A key focus is driving a clear understanding of value-add versus non-value-add activity and developing a productivity roadmap to offset cost inflation while protecting customer experience.
The role leads labour forecasting and analysis within Retail Operations, partnering closely with Finance and Workforce Management teams to ensure labour plans are financially robust, operationally deliverable, and commercially optimised.
We want you to feel challenged and inspired. Here, you’ll develop your skills across a range of responsibilities:
- Plan and forecast labour costs, ensuring alignment with budgets and business performance.
- Lead budgeting and forecasting cycles with clear assumptions and driver transparency.
- Deliver variance analysis to highlight cost, volume, and productivity drivers.
- Develop a labour productivity framework and roadmap to improve efficiency and offset wage inflation.
- Translate operational plans into financial outcomes and provide commercial challenge to stakeholders.
- Partner with Finance to manage labour as a key P&L cost line with strong governance.
- Maintain financial models and scenario analysis across trading changes, wage inflation, and hours mix.
- Build reporting and KPIs that track labour efficiency, utilisation, and wage-investment returns.
- Align forecast, scheduled, and actual hours with Workforce Management, analysing root causes of variances.
- Influence stakeholders to ensure labour investment decisions are commercially sound and data-led.
- Support country teams with analysis and in-store diagnostics to identify efficiency opportunities.
- Work with regional and country operations to refine market assumptions and improve forecast accuracy.
- Collaborate with Retail Operations to embed labour assumptions and cost impacts into change initiatives.
- Lead and develop a small team, setting direction and building analytical capability.
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Qualifications
What You’ll Bring
Here at Primark, we want everyone to feel valued – so please bring your authentic self to work, of course with some other key experience and abilities for this role in particular:
- Qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA / CIMA) with approximately 1–4 years post-qualification experience in FP&A, commercial finance, or cost analysis.
- Strong experience in budgeting, forecasting, cost control, and variance analysis.
- Proven ability to work with large, complex datasets and build financial models.
- Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to link operational drivers to financial outcomes.
- Experience influencing and challenging stakeholders in a cross-functional environment.
- Clear communicator, able to translate complex analysis into actionable insight.
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What You’ll Get
People are at the heart of what we do here, so it’s essential we provide you with the right environment to perform at your very best. Let’s talk lifestyle:
Let’s talk lifestyle: Healthcare, pension, and potential bonus. 27 days of leave, plus bank holidays and if you want, you can buy 5 more. Because Primark is all about tailoring to you, we offer Tax Saver Tickets, fitness centre, and a subsidised cafeteria.
Does this sound like you? Great, because we can’t wait to see what you’ll bring. You’ll be supported within a team of equally capable people, celebrating who you are and aiding you reach your potential. At Primark, we’re excited about our future - and we’re excited to develop yours
Additional Information
About Primark
Primark was founded on a mission that everyone deserves to look and feel good – without paying more. We stand for great value without compromise, offering affordable fashion and everyday essentials that are made to last. Founded in Ireland in 1969, Primark is now an international fashion retailer with more than 470 stores across 18 countries in Europe, the US and the Middle East, employing more than 80,000 colleagues. Millions of shopper’s trust Primark every week for everything from everyday essentials like t-shirts and socks, to the latest fashion trends – all at unbeatable prices.
Primark is built on a belief and passion for physical stores – helping to bring high streets and retail centres to life and creating joyful, social experiences. The company is focused on driving positive change by giving clothing a longer life, protecting life on the planet and supporting the livelihoods of the people who make Primark clothes.
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